Mohammed Valli Moosa

Mohammed Valli Moosa is the President of the IUCN and he is South Africa's former Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (June 1999- April 2004); Member ANC NEC; and former minister of Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Affairs (1994 - June 1999).

"Mohammed Valli Moosa was born in Johannesburg on February 8th 1957. His family was later moved to Lenasia with the implementation of the Groups Areas Act in the early 1960s.

"In 1971, at the tender age of 14, Moosa had his first taste of politics, when he was involved in the Republic Day burning of the national flag, and the refusal to sing the National Anthem "Die Stem".

"Moosa attended the University of Durban Westville, where he obtained a BSc degree in Mathematics and Physics in 1978. It was here that he was introduced to politics (influenced by his older brother). He joined the BCM in 1976, becoming branch secretary of the Durban Westville branch. He was an executive member of the South African Students Organisation (SASO) when it was banned in 1977.

"He believes his time in the BCM was excellent training in the area of debate and constructive criticism. He maintains that within the ANC a great deal of the constructive challenge to maintain democratic procedure comes from the comrades trained in the BCM tradition.

"However, Moosa reached a point where he decided the BCM would not be that effective because it did not lead to broad struggle. He felt it was important to mobilise as broad a spectrum of the society as possible against apartheid.

"After making the break from BCM, Moosa played an important role in the campaign against the establishment of the South African Indian Council.

"He became one of the founder members of the Transvaal Indian Congress in 1983, and served on the executive committee.

"When the UDF was launched in 1983 he was elected to the position of general secretary for the Transvaal region. He was also voted on to the national executive committee. According to Moosa, the formation of the UDF marked the beginning of the end of apartheid.

"When Popo Molefe, the general secretary of the UDF was detained in 1985, Moosa became acting national general secretary.

"Moosa was first detained in 1980, during the education boycotts, and in 1988 he served 14 months in detention before escaping, along with Murphy Morobe (UDF), and Vusi Khanyile of the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC). They sought refuge in the US Consulate in Johannesburg. This move was planned to bring worldwide attention through the media to the plight of detainees in South Africa.

"Moosa was detained again in 1989, and after his release was placed under house arrest. During the State of Emergency, says Moosa, when he was not in detention or in solitary confinement, he was on the run from the security police. In spite of this, he managed to carry out his duties for the UDF.

"Once the UDF was disbanded in Valli was elected to the ANC's NEC and took over the negotiations portfolio in 1991. As co-ordinator of the ANC's negotiations team Moosa was at the forefront of the forces shaping the future of this country. He represented the ANC on Codesa working group two which dealt with constitutional principles and the constitution making process.

"Thus it was a natural progression when he was made Deputy Minister of Constitutional and Provincial affairs. When Roelf Meyer resigned from his position of Minister, Valli Moosa was the obvious candidate for the post of Minister of Constitutional and Provincial Affairs.

"Mohammed Valli Moosa enjoys jogging and listening to classical music. He is married to Elsabe Wessels, and has a young daughter, Kim.

"He is the current Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.“


 * Member, China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development
 * Director WWF South Africa